


Meet the Tuckers: The Backstory Olympics

by HouseOfTucker_Archivist



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:41:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29339223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HouseOfTucker_Archivist/pseuds/HouseOfTucker_Archivist
Summary: This whole mess got started in a backstory competition. Silly, yes, but since I won, I think it's worth a whole page.  Accompanying some of the entries are judgments by THECURSOR, and you're damn right to be quakin' in your boots at that name!  Just be glad you weren't caught in the Shipper Wars...





	Meet the Tuckers: The Backstory Olympics

### ENTRY #1 by KYLIELEE1000: 

NEW CHARACTER: Catherine Tucker

WHO SHE IS: Trip's older sister

CANON SUPPORT OF HER VERY EXISTENCE: She is the mother of the nephew alluded to in the "poop" episode, when children send pix of big-eared Vulcans to our pals on the Enterprise. (She has a DIFFERENT LAST NAME than her husband. She has retained her FAMILY NAME. Because this is the FUTURE.)

WHAT HER CHARACTER IS LIKE: She is a lot like Trip: they are both gregarious and fun to be around, and people like them. She fails to put up with BS, including Trip's BS. She disapproves of Trip's leaving Earth on this long-term mission, because to her, family is very important, so in a way he betrayed them all by leaving town for so long. Fun Fact: she introduced Trip to Natalie, who was a friend of hers from school.

HER RELATIONSHIP WITH TUCKER: Although at first, she sent a lot of notes to Trip lambasting him for leaving (e.g., "It's Thanksgiving; where the hell are you? You were supposed to bring the rolls"), she let up when Trip complained and now seems resigned to the fact that he won't be back for a while. As Big Sis, she always came to his defense when he was younger, and even though he got taller and bigger than her, she doesn't seem to have noticed. She can say horrible things about Trip, but no one else can, or they must face her wrath.

WHAT SHE LOOKS LIKE: Tall and blonde, I guess. Make something up. I don't care.

HER PERSONAL LIFE: She has three kids, a husband, two dogs, a chaotic household, and a career as a landscape architect. She lives on Earth in Platte City, Missouri, where tobacco is grown (really). She runs a small farm there and sells seedlings, plants, gardening implements, and the like in addition to running her consulting business. 

#### Shell's judgment:

Okay, very good. I give it an initial score of 6 (out of 10). 

Here's why: You gave all kinds of things like canon support and personality even her looks BUT you never told how you think we'd meet her. Remember if she's such a homebody how would they meet up if he's in deep space? Even if you had given us a reason to meet her I would still find it hard to believe because of her supposed "stay close to home mentality" 

However, your backstory was good and you made that innovative little twist with Natalie which was deserving of a bonus point. 

All in all you finish up with a total score of 7, not quite ten but not bad.

THECURSOR has spoken!

### ENTRY #2 BY KYLIELEE1000

BACKSTORY CHARACTER: Robin, a hand puppet from Trip's youth that, for some inexplicable reason, he has carried with him on board Enterprise. He keeps it in his quarters, stuck on a pencil to keep it upright, next to his console. His sister Catherine gave it to him for Christmas when he was ten as a joke, and it's been by his side ever since. Even at Starfleet Academy. Especially at Starfleet Academy.

SOURCE IN CANON: Well, let's face it, none, because we've never seen Trip's quarters. But Robin is the metaphorical equivalent of devastatingly intelligent children on board Star Trek ships. Robin is the uber-Wesley, the super-Jake, the mini-Naomi. Need a character to get stuck in some hideous mess while garnering the sympathy of the audience? Robin's your boy. Need a deus ex to get your main characters out of a sticky situation? Robin can fly a shuttlepod!

WHAT HE LOOKS LIKE: Pretty much like a lamb.

THE REASON THIS CHARACTER EXISTS: Robin articulates the things Trip feels he can't say, both personal and professional. Trip can have long heart-to-heart talks with himself by using Robin as his sounding board. Robin is his voice of reason, but a voice that Trip can ignore if he feels like it, because let's face it, Robin's a puppet. This will allow Trip to get into some interesting fixes, causing major interesting interstellar conflicts and imperiling the crew. But if the conflict is too dang complex, well, Robin will save the day! Robin is thus the kind of character who can both CAUSE and FIX major conflict, which is always good for a plot. Or continuity errors. Or a laugh.

HOW TO EMBED THIS CHARACTER IN A FUTURE STORY: Trip has a hideous technical problem to wrestle with: the manifold extenders on the flux regulators have mysteriously caught fire, and all of Engineering is about to be shut down preparatory to blowing the warp core out of the ship before it explodes, all to avoid KILLING EVERYBODY. Robin to the rescue! How? Well, I'm sure TPTB will think of something. I mean, even in Season 1 of TNG, Wesley could jury-rig a force field and barricade himself in Engineering, and he doesn't have a tenth of Robin's charm or smarts.

####  COMMENTS FROM MYST123:

Kylie, I like your sister Catherine (not Charlotte?) backstory. 

She doesn't need much onscreen time to establish her relationship with Trip and a bit of back story. Look what 5 seconds of Reed's dad gave us! Trip and Catherine (who I prefer to think of as Charlotte because perhaps Trip's folks would do that, thinking it cute) can have a short video ship-to-earth communication about something: Trip was supposed to do something he didn't; it is her birthday; she needs his advice on something mechanical and her useless-at-times-because-his-not-mechanically-inclined husband can't help and she feels she is being ripped off by the idiot at the garage. So, for whatever reason, Trip hears from her and in the process get some insight into his family dynamics.

### ENTRY #1 BY T'DAX

BACKSTORY CHARACTER: Charles Tucker the original, also known as "Gramps," or "Tuck" to his friends.

CANON EVIDENCE: None so far, but if he didn't exist, Trip wouldn't, well, be a "Trip." (He might not even be here at all, and wouldn't we all hate that!)

LOOKS LIKE: Trip + 50 years. Tallish, with a full head of white hair; he's still in excellent physical shape from a lifetime of hard farming work. He's also the first owner of the 'Tucker nose.' 

PERSONALITY/BACKGROUND: Whip-smart and plainspoken, befitting a graduate-educated man who chose to go into a rural business populated by wise yet often un-book-educated folk. Having grown up on the leading edge of the generation which spawned the Boomers, he's always been fascinated by space travel. His Masters' thesis in Agricultural Engineering (concentration: Animal Husbandry) even dealt with raising livestock in alternate-G environments. Over a fateful summer vacation back at the Tucker ancestral manse in Arkansas, he met the farmer's daughter next door and decided terra firma was more interesting after all. Now a widower and mostly retired, he's sold the dairy farm to a neighbor, but still runs a small catfish farm in the creek off the back forty, as well as doing some consulting. He even traveled to one of the Mars colonies about ten years ago to work with an important client; he now insists he grew about an inch and a half during his six-month exposure to lesser Martian gravity.

RELATIONSHIP WITH TRIP: Gramps dotes on Trip, his favorite grandson, who is fond of the old man in turn. Tuck still hasn't quite forgiven Trip's dad for deciding to relocate the family to Florida during Trip's early childhood. Trip spent many summers visiting his grandfather, honing his engineering skills by learning to repair the automatic milking machine and other farm gadgets. (Trip did, however, get the whuppin' of his life from Gramps after one of his 'system improvements' put the heifers off their milking schedule for a week.) Gramps was thrilled when Trip decided he wanted to go into Starfleet; he'd always had a touch of regret about his decision not to head spaceward himself. He supported Trip when other family members voiced their objections. Gramps has met Jonathan Archer on a couple of occasions, and heartily approves of Trip's friend; he even persuaded the 'dog lady' across the street to part with one of her beagle puppies for Jon. 

POSSIBLE STORYLINES: Well, Gramps is the arbiter of all news in the Tucker family, so he's always writing letters to his favorite grandson, or showing up on the viewscreen when Trip calls home. And of course, the Tucker family reunions are held back on the Arkansas homestead -- it's the only place big enough to sleep all those aunts, uncles, cousins and grandchildren. Lucky thing that Enterprise was due back to dry dock for a refit just in time for Trip to attend the latest one. 

Shell, do your worst. _*ducks in case of rotten-tomato-throwing*_

####  Shell's judgment:

 _Ladies and gentlemen, tonight the part of THECURSOR will be played by that Limey asshole judge from American Idol._ (( BACKSTORY CHARACTER: Charles Tucker the original, also known as "Gramps," or "Tuck" to his friends.))

CANON EVIDENCE: None so far, but if he didn't exist, Trip wouldn't, well, be a "Trip." (He might not even be here at all, and wouldn't we all hate that!) _This one was little bit of surprise, of all the people to do I didn't think gramps would be in this. But not bad._

((LOOKS LIKE: Trip + 50 years. Tallish, with a full head of white hair; he's still in excellent physical shape from a lifetime of hard farming work. He's also the first owner of the 'Tucker nose'. _Ummm...is this that Sean Connery fetish I always hear about from Sex in The City? Geez, Dyan Cannon and now this? C'mon people, be careful with the hot old people. I'm from the Britney Spears generation so this is so the pinnacle of gross. If he's old then make the man old. No points awarded for bad casting_

((PERSONALITY/BACKGROUND: Whip-smart and plainspoken, befitting a graduate-educated man who chose to go into a rural business populated by wise yet often un-book-educated folk. Having grown up on the leading edge of the generation which spawned the Boomers, he's always been fascinated by space travel. His Masters' thesis in Agricultural Engineering (concentration: Animal Husbandry) even dealt with raising livestock in alternate-G environments. Over a fateful summer vacation back at the Tucker ancestral manse in Arkansas, he met the farmer's daughter next door and decided terra firma was more interesting after all. Now a widower and mostly retired, he's sold the dairy farm to a neighbor, but still runs a small catfish farm in the creek off the back forty, as well as doing some consulting. He even traveled to one of the Mars colonies about ten years ago to work with an important client; he now insists he grew about an inch and a half during his six-month exposure to lesser Martian gravity.)) _Grandpa's a smarty pants, not a cliché at all! couple of points awarded._

((RELATIONSHIP WITH TRIP: Gramps dotes on Trip, his favorite grandson, who is fond of the old man in turn. Tuck still hasn't quite forgiven Trip's dad for deciding to relocate the family to Florida during Trip's early childhood. Trip spent many summers visiting his grandfather, honing his engineering skills by learning to repair the automatic milking machine and other farm gadgets. (Trip did, however, get the whuppin' of his life from Gramps after one of his 'system improvements' put the heifers off their milking schedule for a week.) Gramps was thrilled when Trip decided he wanted to go into Starfleet; he'd always had a touch of regret about his decision not to head spaceward himself. He supported Trip when other family members voiced their objections. Gramps has met Jonathan Archer on a couple of occasions, and heartily approves of Trip's friend; he even persuaded the 'dog lady' across the street to part with one of her beagle puppies for Jon. )) _The secret origins of Porthos. Another couple of creativity points awarded. *Pause* Ummm, question. "Spooked the heifers"? What are you smokin'?_

((POSSIBLE STORYLINES: Well, Gramps is the arbiter of all news in the Tucker family, so he's always writing letters to his favorite grandson, or showing up on the viewscreen when Trip calls home. And of course, the Tucker family reunions are held back on the Arkansas homestead’ --it's the only place big enough to sleep all those aunts, uncles, cousins and grandchildren. Lucky thing that Enterprise was due back to dry dock for a refit just in time for Trip to attend the latest one. )) _It could've been an emergency, or a death in the family, or maybe even a wedding. But your reason for getting the Tucker clan in one room? A rootin, tootin, hoo ha with his kinfolk. *Sigh* its like they never canceled the Beverly Hillbillies. If any of them have webbed feet and different color eyes I'll throw myself off a roof. And furthermore...Wait sorry all out of insults, No points awarded._

_  
_

Okay, here it is: A six. You heard me a six. (I know, I know scores six, seven, eight in a row but that's the way it is.) Great character, crappy way to introduce him. Make it sad, make it funny but don't make it a family reunion because its just SO easy! and personally I believe Porthos was birthed in the depths of hell an was sent by the "Paw" wraiths to destroy the universe. (Whew, long way to go for that one.) But it was a nice touch. 

_Six. That's all and...."That was a karaoke performance." or what ever the hell his catch phrase is. THECURSOR has spoken! "Y'all come back now, yah hear?"_

###  ENTRY#2 BY T'DAX:

Without further ado, and with many apologies to Kim Stanley Robinson's _Mars_ trilogy (a great series of books, IMO), I give you the convoluted tale of:

BACKSTORY CHARACTER: Trip's cousin, Reese Tucker. (He only answers to his nickname, 'Spike'.) _*Bobbing head in tune with music* Huh? What oh sorry, kept hearing the BUFFY THEME in my head! Still I bet UPN network executives would smile a mile wide. ****_

**  
**

**LOOKS LIKE: A lot like Nicholas Lea (who played Krycek on _The X- Files_ ). Shorter than Trip, a little darker in complexion, definitely edgier. He has a short iron spike piercing his ear (thus the nickname), and probably a couple of questionably tasteful tattoos in, well, questionably tasteful places. His shortish hair is dyed a dusty orange-red, a symbol of his political leanings. __**_*Still bobbing now humming and air guitaring* Der der ner nerrrr Huh? God I'm so sorry, that damn theme song again. Good description, very well written. Nicolas Lea looks pretty young for what ever age he is so maybe this bad boy thing might fit. ****_

**  
**

**PERSONALITY/BACKGROUND: Spike is definitely the bad boy of Trip's generation of Tuckers. __**_You could say he's a "bad evil man! *Snicker* ****_**From an early age, he showed a predilection for fast cars, fast women, and extreme sports, and had a less-than- civil relationship with his parents. It was thus no surprise when, rather than channeling his mechanical smarts into a Starfleet commission like Trip, he chose to emigrate to Mars, taking a position with one of the companies involved in establishing the surface-to- orbit space elevator on the red planet. Charismatic, gregarious, and self-sufficient in the extreme, he fit well into the ragtag, rough- and-tumble Martian society. He met and quickly married an equally charismatic woman, one of the first generation of Martian 'natives' born on-planet and a fellow elevator tech worker. Less than a year later, she was killed in a construction accident along the length of the elevator. Spike quit his job, unable to face going back to work on the cable even though it was close to completion. He went a bit off the deep end, and drifted from city to city for a while, eventually befriending members of the covert Free Mars movement, a faction working to sabotage terraforming efforts and destroy the elevator. Their ultimate goal is complete sovereignty from Earth, allowing Mars to become an independent, self-governing galactic entity. (Because they support restoring the planet to its original, pre-terraforming state, Free Mars members are commonly known as 'Reds'.) Spike joined the underground resistance movement, agreeing to share his knowledge about the elevator's construction to help stop its completion. He disappeared into Free Mars' shadow society, and has only been in rare, fleeting contact with his family since. __**_Oooo, *conflicty goodness!* (Snicker) No, no, seriously, good touch. Very well done I like how this conforms to the grand Star Trek tradition of truly screwed up siblings and family members nobody wants to talk about. Take for instance Worf's foster brother. Shit, take his real brother! Take my brother, PLEASE! *Badump bump* ****_**  
**

**  
**

**RELATIONSHIP WITH TRIP: Spike is only a couple of years older than Trip, and they used to spend summers together at the Tucker ancestral manse. They've always gotten along well, though Trip doesn't quite know what to think of his cousin's wild behavior, and probably is a bit in awe of him. They share a certain mechanical aptitude, and came up with some interesting engineering projects to collaborate on as kids, as well as some elaborate practical jokes on other family members. They were both space-mad from early on, so it was inevitable they'd both end up 'out there' eventually, though they chose different paths. In his infrequent contacts with Trip, Spike addresses him teasingly as 'Starfleet' rather than his traditional family nickname.** _Daaaaa na na naaaa Oh shoot, I swear I won't do that again! But seriously, manse? You can't just call it big friggin' house? I like the brother's sharing of interests -- very cool. But aah...Starfleet?_

_  
_

_*COUGH* Foreshadowing!_

**  
**

**POSSIBLE STORYLINE: While Enterprise is in spacedock at Jupiter Station for resupplying and equipment upgrades, __**_Unlikely, they're pretty far out. It's called deep space for a reason._ **a tense situation begins to develop on Mars. The Reds have captured the building housing the completed elevator's on-planet 'socket', and are planning to bring down the cable, which will crash onto the planet, wrapping completely around its circumference, and potentially kill millions. __**_A killer cable? Questionable science I think but very interesting. I like how you connected character aspects to the plot._ **Spike Tucker, __**_"A bad evil man"_ **inside the besieged building, is acting as the operation's spokesperson. As Captain Archer has developed into quite a skilled diplomat __**_LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL_ **(no, really!), __**_Yeah. Sure. Okay. *Snicker, chortle, attempt to stay straight faced*_ **Starfleet asks him to travel to their base on Phobos, one of the Martian moons, to attempt negotiation with the Reds. Concerned for his cousin, Trip volunteers to accompany Jon. The talks begin promisingly, but soon deteriorate, as the rebels begin to argue amongst themselves. Meanwhile, stealth troops have succeeded in penetrating the Reds' defenses, and sneak into the building; they locate the group, and a firefight breaks out, igniting explosives meant for the elevator's destruction. The building is consumed by fire. Later investigations are unable to positively identify bodily remains found in the wreckage. Shaken and confused, Trip is left to hope that the underground members somehow escaped, and that Spike will eventually contact him. He also knows that as a Starfleet officer, he must decide whether to turn his cousin over to the authorities if he learns that he's still alive, and out there somewhere. __**_Very good. I envision a deep personal episode with twists and turns and intrigue that everyone will want to be a watcher of._

__

### ENTRY #1 BY ARCHER4TRIP

__

Name: Olen Tucker 

Age: 39 

Job: Agro-business/Farmer 

Looks: a bit like William Holden (a la "Sunset Boulevard") 

Relation: Trip's older brother

How He Is Introduced:

Return visit to Earth involves family visits for many of the main characters. 

Trip's involves a return to the Tucker farms, in Arkansas. 

This also involves a "talk" which takes place after the big dinner, during which Trip regales the family with carefully edited versions of his adventures, quite *unlike* the BS on Risa, but still "elaborated" for their enjoyment. He also states his desire to get back on the ship, back in space and back "out there".

The talk is initiated by Olen , his brother (the canon one who taught him his dance moves). Since those halcyon days, they haven't been so close (aka "regret is a powerful emotion")

Dad (Tucker, Jr.) is not well. While Trip is not unaware of this, he is surprised at the seriousness of it. Things get a bit tense when he asks Olen "What are you going to do about it?" 

Olen has been nursing a few grudges, among them a) Trip's absence (he *did* use to be close to his little brother) b) Trip's choice of career (i.e., not the family business, which also needs tending as Dad declines) c) Trip's "neglect" of family, esp. their Dad, by choosing a career that would take him as far away as possible and by not returning home earlier, and by itchin to get away again.

Trip is absolutely taken aback at Olen's level of frustration and at the thought of conflict in the family. The Tuckers are not a family with grudges.

He also knows that he can't and wouldn't leave his career, and gets a little, well, frightened, that he might have to. 

He proposes a short-term solution that defuses Olen for the time being, but which leaves Trip troubled and guilty once he's back on Enterprise. 

Trip's goodbye to his father (who has 'put on a good face') involves a few small, manly tears.

I bow and place the offering on the altar of Gabri-Shell. 

#### Shell's judgment:

 **  
<< Name: Olen Tucker  
Age: 39  
Job: Agro-business/Farmer>>  
**  
_Like the age thing, it¹s rare to see older men in Scifi these days. Seriously,  
all the characters seem to be those "Wesley snot nosed geniuses" so whenever  
I see someone aged realistically I give a cheer. But on the other hand,  
"Olen"? *Sigh* okay I'll smoke that crack. _  
**  
<< Looks: a bit like William Holden (a la "Sunset Boulevard")  
Relation: Trip's older brother>>  
**  
_*Blink*  
uhhhh...What the hell is Sunset Boulevard and who the f*ck is William Holden?  
Okay, while I go look this up on IMDB, please keep in mind that I am but a  
child!_  
**  
< involves family visits for many of the main characters. >>  
**_  
_Ummm...hard to do but still plausible, At this point in the show the  
enterprise would be about several months travel from Earth but I would be  
really surprised if they didn't go back at some point. However,  
Soval/Forrest/Starfleet would just have Archer CALL them on subspace. Some  
other reason would be needed. _  
**  
<< Trip's involves a return to the Tucker farms, in Arkansas.  
This also involves a "talk" which takes place after the big dinner,  
during which Trip regales the family with carefully edited  
versions of his adventures, quite *unlike* the BS on Risa, but still  
"elaborated" for their enjoyment. He also states his desire to get  
back on the ship, back in space and back "out there".**_

_**  
** _

The talk is initiated by Olen , his brother (the canon one who taught him his dance moves). Since those halcyon days, they haven't been so close (aka "regret is a powerful emotion")

Dad (Tucker, Jr.) is not well. While Trip is not unaware of this, he is surprised at the seriousness of it. Things get a bit tense when he asks Olen "What are you going to do about it?" 

Olen has been nursing a few grudges, among them a) Trip's absence (he *did* use to be close to his little brother) b) Trip's choice of career (i.e., not the family business, which also needs tending as Dad declines) c) Trip's "neglect" of family, esp. their Dad, by choosing a career that would take him as far away as possible and by not returning home earlier, and by itchin to get away again.

Trip is absolutely taken aback at Olen's level of frustration and at the thought of conflict in the family. The Tuckers are not a family with grudges. He also knows that he can't and wouldn't leave his career, and gets a little, well, frightened, that he might have to. He proposes a short-term solution that defuses Olen for the time being, but which leaves Trip troubled and guilty once he's back on Enterprise. Trip's goodbye to his father (who has 'put on a good face') involves a few small, manly tears.

****_Notice, I didn't interrupt it that many times. That means I liked it. Aside from a few minor stumbling blocks you have a really good family drama._

_  
_

Anyway... Good showing from A4T, nicely done man. I give it an 8 1/2 (That name...Even in the south, parents are conscious of what names will and will not get the crap beaten out of their kids. Half a point off.) 

On a side note, if you can write at all I suggest it because if your writing skills are anything like your plotting skills I just might start reading A/T stories. (No guarantee.) 

THECURSOR 


End file.
